Sheath knitter

ABSTRACT

A sheath knitter which produces an ornamental cord which consists of a core thread with an open mesh loosely knitted sheath by introducing a core through a knitting head while feeding the knitting needles with material mounted on a superstructure connected to the cams that drive the needles.

United States Patent [191 Latella Oct. 30, 1973 SHEATH KNITTER [76]Inventor: Anthony S. Latella, 64 Bently Rd., Ce a rew i. [22] Filed:Feb. 14, 1972 211 Appl. No.: 226,082

[52] U.S. Cl. 66/9 A, 66/125 R [51] Int. Cl D04b 9/44 [58] Field ofSearch 66/9 A, 125, 13,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1900 Wardall 648,3474/1941 Brillhart 66/9 A FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS PrimaryExaminerW. C. Reynolds Assistant Examiner-Andrew M. Falk AttorneyNormanN. Popper et al.

[57] ABSTRACT A sheath knitter which produces an ornamental cord whichconsists of a core thread with an open mesh loosely knitted sheath byintroducing a core through a knitting head while feeding the knittingneedles with material mounted on a superstructure connected to the camsthat drive the needles.

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures Great Britain 660/125 1 SHEATH KNITTERBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention ---'I hisinvention relates generally to making knitted cords, and particularly tomaking ornamental knitted cords formed about a cord thread.

2. Prior Art Modern packaging has created a demand for ornamentalribbons and cords. Among the ornamental cords produced has been the corethread with a knitted SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It has been found that itis not necessary to arrange a pair of rotating feed spools to supply thecore thread and the thread for the knitted sheath, but rather that asingle revolving spool can supply thread to run revolving knittingneedles while a core thread is passed through the revolving spool, andbetween the knitting needles, producing a knitted sheath on a corethread by a simple direct operation. With this apparatus ornamentalknitted sheath on core threads are producable at high rates of speed,without complex apparatus, with minimum apparatus down time forreplacing exhausted spools, without frequently adjusting delicate threadtension guides, with a vast reduction in down time due to threadbreakage. I

THE DRAWINGS These objects and advantages as well as other objects andadvantages are attained by the device shown by way of illustration inthe drawings in which:

F IG. 1 is an elevational view of the sheath knitter;

FIG. 2 is a partial vertical sectional view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a top needle cam;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of a bottom needle cam; and

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of a portion of a core with a knittedsheath.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A mounting 11 is provided for a bottom spindle 12.A hole in the end of the mounting 11 receives the threaded lower end ofthe spindle 12, which is rigidly secured to the mounting 11. Acam-housing 13 is rotatably mounted on the spindle. A belt track 14 isprovided at the bottom of the housing 13 to receive a belt 15 to rotatethe housing on the spindle 12. The spindle l2 and the housing 13 arerotatably connected together by a bearing 16.

The housing 13 has a central bore 17 that receives a pair of cooperativecams: a top cam 18 and a bottom cam 19. The bottom cam 19 is retained inthe bore 17 by the bearing 16, the top cam 18 is retained in the bore 17by a top bearing 20, which will be later more particularly referred to.The top cam 18 is secured against rotation by the set screw 21, and thebottom cam 19 is secured against rotation by the set screw 22. Togetherwith the cams 18, 19 define a continuous cam track 23 on their externalsurface, that causes a plurality of knitting needles to rise and falland to perform a knitting operation, as will be further described.

The upper end of the spindle 12 has four coaxial needle tricks 24disposed at from each other; each trick receives a conventional knittingneedle 25, each having a bottom, offset end 26 serving as a butt in thecam track 23. An elastomeric ring 27 is seated in an annular channel 28in the top of the spindle l2; and this assembly defines a knitting head.

The cam-housing 13 is capped by the cover 29 which is rigidly secured tothe housing 13 by screws (not shown). The top bearing 20, is rigidlysecured to the cover 29, and the bearing 20 receives the upper end ofthe spindle 12, upon which the top of the housing 13 rotates. Therotation of the housing 13 carries with it the cams 18, 19 whichinfluence the butts which are the offset ends 26 of the needles 25,causing them to rise and fall successively as they traverse the camtrack 23 and perform the well known knitting operation. (e.g. Stover2,364,560; Ford 2,257,458).

The cover 29 supports upwardly extending columns 30 which hold at thetop, a deck 31. The cover 39 also supports a lower thread guide 32positioned and angled to direct a thread toward the needles 25. On thedeck 31 is a top spindle 33 which has a bore 34, which is co,- axialwith a bore 35 in the bottom spindle 12. The top spindle 33 receives aspool of thread or strand 36 which passes through an upper guide 37,down through a guide-passage 38 in the deck 31 to the lower threadguide32.

A pulley 39 is attached to the mounting 11 to receive a thread or strand40 which is introduced into the bore 34, passes between the needles 25,and down through the bore 35. From the pulley 39 it proceeds to a takeupspool (Not shown).

When the core thread 40 leaves the pulley 39 and is wound onto a take-upspool and when the belt 15 drives the housing 13, the needles 25 knit asheath about the core-thread forming an ornamental cord 41. Thus thecore thread 40 may be a silver filament core with an open, loose, mesh,gold, knitted sheath, forming an attractive ornamental cord. The sourceof the core strand 40 is stationary.

Reference has been made previously to a core strand; it is to beunderstood that this may be a multifilament thread, a monofilamentthread, a braided strand, or a knitted strand in each case the presentinvention provides a surrounding knitted sheath about the core strand,whatever its nature.

Aside from the ability to form an ornamental sheathed cord, theapparatus produces a cord which, by virtue of distinctive color strandsused, may be applied to distinguish a product to which it is appliedfrom other products to which different color strands. have been appliedas markers. Other uses may be found, such as shielded electricalconductors, if the knitted sheath is closely knitted.

For purposes of illustration the drawings have shown a knitted head withseveral knitting needles. It is to be understood that knitting head withup to perhaps thirty needles can be substituted. For purposes ofillustration the source of supply for the strand 36 has been shown to bea spool upon which the strand is wound. It is to be understood that acone, tube or any other type of holder upon which the strand 36 can bewrapped can be mounted upon the deck 31.

What is claimed 1. A sheath knitter comprising:

a. a knitting head assembly,

b. a stationary first spindle with a central bore in the knitting headassembly,

0. the knitting head assembly freely rotatable on the spindle,

d. a second spindle with a central bore attached above and rotating withthe knitting head assembly,

e. the central bores arranged generally coaxially,

f. means to drive the knitting head assembly on the first spindle,

g. a spool of knitting strand material carried on the second spindle,

h. means'to conduct the knitting strand material to the knitting headassembly,

i. core strand material passed through the bores and the knitting headassembly whereby a knitted sheath is formed about the core strand by theknitting head assembly as it is driven.

2. A sheath knitter comprising:

a. the device according to claim 1,

b. a pulley below the central bore in the first spindle over which thecore thread with the knitted sheath may be led to a take-up spool.

3. A sheath knitter comprising:

a. the device according to claim 1,

b. a pair of complementary, biased-track carns defining a continuous camtrack disposed in the knitting head assembly surrounding the firstspindle.

4. A sheath knitter comprising:

a. the device according to claim 1,

b. a pulley below the central bore in the first spindle over which thecore thread with the knitted sheath may be led to a take-up spool,

c. a pair of complementary, biased-track cams defining a continuous camtrack disposed in the knitting assembly surrounding the first spindle.

1. A sheath knitter comprising: a. a knitting head assembly, b. astationary first spindle with a central bore in the knitting headassembly, c. the knitting head assembly freely rotatable on the spindle,d. a second spindle with a central bore attached above and rotating withthe knitting head assembly, e. the central bores arranged generallycoaxially, f. means to drive the knitting head assembly on the firstspindle, g. a spool of knitting strand material carried on the secondspindle, h. means to conduct the knitting strand material to theknitting head assembly, i. core strand material passed through the boresand the knitting head assembly whereby a knitted sheath is formed aboutthe core strand by the knitting head assembly as it is driven.
 2. Asheath knitter comprising: a. the device according to claim 1, b. apulley below the central bore in the first spindle over which the corethread with the knitted sheath may be led to a take-up spool.
 3. Asheath knitter comprising: a. the device according to claim 1, b. a pairof complementary, biased-track cams defining a continuous cam trackdisposed in the knitting head assembly surrounding the first spindle. 4.A sheath knitter comprising: a. the device according to claim 1, b. apulley below the central bore in the first spindle over which the corethread with the knitted sheath may be led to a take-up spool, c. a pairof complementary, biased-track cams defining a continuous cam trackdisposed in the knitting assembly surrounding the first spindle.